Archive for June, 2013

Gotta love the head on this one. Nice and yeasty, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb is a mainstream beer you can’t complain about. Strong banana flavour with spice coming in every now and then. I didn’t expect Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb to be heavy, and this is really good for a wheat beer. Creamy and complex, this medium-bodied beer’s taste is dominated by yeast and banana, and I feel like I’m fucking chewing it. Well, good for me, I suppose, because this is the last beer I’m reviewing. Might as well try to chew the fucking drink.

I’m doing a terrible injustice to these great beers by drinking them from an Indus Pride glass, but it can’t be helped, because all the other glasses I own are either stained, broken or stolen. Paulaner Original Münchner Hell is a light-bodied beer with an amazingly malty flavour that teaches me yet again why non-alcoholic beers can never replace the real thing. Paulaner Original Münchner Hell is a very light beer, and its subtlety works very well. I can barely taste the hops here, but the bitter bite makes its presence felt in every sip. This lager is fucking smooth and I love that the finish is sweet. The more I drink of Paulaner Original Münchner Hell, the sharper the taste of the malts feels. This is what I call a zero-bullshit beer, and this is one of the brews you can blindly pick up when you’re at a shop that sells the good stuff.

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Germany knows how do it. For the first time ever, I’m thrilled by a non-alcoholic beer. Brauperle Alcohol Free has a foamy head and tastes darned good, too. The faint metallic taste could possibly be a result of the can chilling in the refrigerator for two months, but fuck that – Brauperle Alcohol Free tastes like a bitter fruit beer, the fruity maltiness leaving a bite in your mouth as it goes down the throat. If you feel like a strong beer and aren’t supposed to consume alcohol, Brauperle Alcohol Free is available in Mumbai.

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Black Metal is fast rising in the Indian underground metal scene, with prominent bands who have been fairly active on the live circuit getting releases ready for this year.

Cosmic Infusion has a new line-up, and an EP scheduled for release in July. The band aims at creating a blend of symphonic and extreme metal with their debut, which they say is a musical journey of five tracks, with each song having an independent storyline to it. The 35-minute EP has been recorded, mixed and mastered at Closed Eye Productions, and will be launched at Blue Frog next month. Says vocalist/keyboardist Sushan, “Our lyrics are about strength, life, holy places, the universe, suicide and death.”

Stark Denial are secretive about their debut. Frontman Kunal Gonsalves refuses to share anything except the band logo, and says he will reveal the theme of the EP in good time, but considering the man organizes Black Metal Krieg and has titled the release War, we should have an idea of what to expect from Stark Denial. War will be released on Incanned Productions later this year.

Bombay’s Solar Deity will crush all holiness with Devil Worship, the second chapter in their ‘Satan’ trilogy and the sequel to In The Name Of Satan. “This is our third big release, and with this EP, we are taking our next big step,” says band-manager/artwork-designer Aakash Dwivedi. Devil Worship, Solar Deity‘s follow-up to last year’s The Darkness Of Being, will be engineered by Ashwin Shriyan and released on Nephalist Recordings, and will contain overtly Satanic lyrics.

Having played several shows already, Guwahati’s Judas Ancestry decided to put some music out, and have readyThe Unforeseen Boundaries, their debut album, which has nine songs about fantasy, darkness and negativity. Recorded at Lucid Recess Studios and Dreamcatcher Studios, the album will be released in late 2013. “We have varied influences,” says vocalist Sandeep Sarmah, “and we don’t mind bringing elements of other styles of metal into Judas Ancestry‘s music.”

You could blame it on the two whiskies you had before entering the movie hall to watch Man Of Steel for making you fall asleep during the unnecessarily long film, but then, every time you open your eyes, the same damn action scene is on. It’s a bunch of skyscrapers in the backdrop, and Superman fighting General Zod and the other bad people from Krypton. Sent to Earth by his father Jor-El (Russell Crowe), Kal-El is known on our planet as Clark Kent, raised as a typical American boy (he’s lived in Kansas for 33 years, so he obviously won’t harm the nation). Clark’s father here – Kevin Costner – has kept Superman’s secret hidden from world: that the boy arrived from another world and has superpowers he’s aching to use on others. But when he finally does get to get violent and destructive, you’re in for a snoozefest. Man Of Steel has the most boring action sequences you’ve watched in a very long time; it’s as coma-inducing as the ending of Lord Of The Rings 3, and is too stretched even for those who like a bit of filmigiri in their Hollywood blockbusters.

The story, even though it doesn’t sound like much, does make sense. The villain has a reason to come to this planet, and isn’t hellbent on destroying the human race just because he has nothing else to do. General Zod is angry, frustrated, and most importantly, he has a plan.

During the incredibly boring action sequences, when you can’t sleep because of all the commotion, you get thinking about Batman and Superman. You like Batman more because everything about the dude is so dark, but then he uses gadgets, which Superman doesn’t need. Batman is a borderline alcoholic too, so you know he’ll never turn down a drink if you offer him one, but Superman can fucking fly.

This is the problem with “Man Of Steel”: Superman doesn’t fly much. You’d like a superhero who can fucking fly to go here and there in the air, visit a few scenic places so that everybody can get a top view of them, or just go sit on a fucking glacier or something. All intensity and no fun make Man Of Steel a dumb Superman movie. See, it’s cool that Clark Kent shares zero chemistry with Louis Lane, because you sure as shit don’t want any mushy crap in this film.

But you really can’t blame it on the alcohol; you’re wide awake an hour before the movie is over wondering when Man Of Steel will end. It’s great that there are no attempts at being humorous, it’s beautiful that there isn’t any chemistry between anyone, but you do wish for somebody to root for. The villain is miserable throughout, the superhero doesn’t fucking fly enough, and you’ve seen way too many skyscrapers, and since the new Superman film hasn’t done anything except waste your time, it’s best to go back to a bar that doesn’t require superhuman strength to keep from closing so early in the morning.

It gets tough for fans of bands like Black Sabbath to accept and assimilate any new music the band churns out. And that’s usually because of a nostalgic love of the band’s earlier output, which for most, would have converted people in to fans in the first place. The classic material, is just that. Classic. It can’t be touched. It’s influenced millions. It’s almost legendary. So when a band of that calibre decides to go back in to the studio years after they’ve ever done that sort of a thing, you pray that the musicians have still got it. You hope they don’t choke. You don’t want them to get hammered by critics or the lay listener.

Fans of Black Sabbath, it’s safe to cast away your fears. ’13’, the band’s nineteenth studio record, the first to feature original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne since 1978’s ‘Never Say Die’, does not disappoint. The eight songs on the album are a worthy attempt to relive the band’s classic bluesy, doomy, sounds. Yes, some of them, like ‘Loner’ and the beautiful ‘Zeitgeist’ take you back to previous Sabbath songs, but it’s not enough to get you stark-raving mad. The riffs, in their own way, pay tribute to the past.

That being said, you do miss Bill Ward’s jazzy, swingy drumming. Brad Wilk (of Rage Against The Machine fame) can certainly hold his own in front of the skins, but it’s just not the right feel. The drums sound cold and remote, as if the band wasn’t entirely convinced of their decision to include Wilk in to their inner circle.

What’s spot on though is Geezer Butler’s rumbling bass. Never one to colour within the lines, Butler’s bass work is exemplary, twisting, and turning, and teasing you throughout the album. Guitarist Tony Iommi is equally fantastic to listen to, especially the solo on ‘Age Of Reason’. You can hear him giving it all he’s got, and more. And i must admit, Ozzy is palatable throughout the record. He does sound post produced, but the end result is an Ozzy who seems to have accepted his physical limitations.

Interestingly, the album ends with the same church bells that started it all – Sabbath’s self titled 1970 debut. You could view it as a bookend. And, yes, ’13’ is definitely not a bad way to end. But as you spin the record for a second listen (or click on repeat, whatever you choose), you can tell that Iommi and Butler aren’t completely done yet.

Back in 2000, he sported long hair and fronted Pin Drop Violence. Now in 2013, he has a crew cut and is busy with his day job. It’s been half a decade since PDV separated and he rarely attends gigs these days, but we at Mehta Kya Kehta never forget our metal heroes, and had to get Pradeep Miranda to open up about the time when his band ruled the city of Mumbai and what he does now.

From back in the PDV days! Pic courtesy: Akshayraj Uchhil

“I was 18 when I started the band and the only thing on my mind was to make great music that everybody could relate to. So I poured all my energy into writing the best lyrics I could conceive, which in my eyes are still good to this day. A few tracks have my guitar riffs too, which the band members played willingly. I always thought of our listeners as friends first and fans (pinheads!) later, and maybe that’s why we are still fondly remembered. PDV delivered serious hard-hitting music and I made sure my studio sessions were as intense as the gigs. Growling is a very physically demanding action as it’s not just the throat box but also the diaphragm that comes into use. I remember spitting blood in the basin and sweating gallons on stage because of grueling gigs, but no buckets of tears whatsoever. A total of 2 full-length studio albums, 1 single, 100’s of local and national gigs, 1 international gig (Dubai), featuring on a handful of compilation albums, giving countless (print, radio, web and TV) interviews and practicing tons didn’t take its toll on the band. In fact, even the outstation gigs’ travel conditions, the nasty places we were put up at, critical haters and judgmental two-faced peers didn’t dent my spirit. In the end, our “management” skills (or lack thereof) brought on my band’s demise. Don’t get me wrong. I was never in it for the money. We were realistic about completing college and holding down jobs so we were okay. Sadly, all it takes is one fuckin’ weak link for the whole goddamn chain to snap… Anyway, I always joke that I am the only member to have not missed any PDV show ever, and the rest know it’s true. They missed a couple through no fault of theirs because of work, health and family. But without a doubt, they gave 100% to the ones they were present for and that’s awesome.”

But it’s not over till it’s over, and there’s a good chance we’ll get some more music from the growler.

“Nowadays, if I’m not traveling, working and spending time with the missus, you’ll catch me beering with my many buddies. I’ve had cats since I was 13 and still do at 30. I am a reader but not a voracious one, though I always liked spending time with books than people. My love for writing stems from the fact that I make time to read. My girlfriend of 7 years is now my wife. So a lot of travel on the cards and already Paris and Sri Lanka are done with a lot more to go. I catch treks / camp-outs whenever I can. I like to ride my motorcycle and love working on it myself. I’m currently in talks with an old friend about getting in a studio and making some music, but I’m enjoying the sabbatical and may procrastinate that thought more. Overall, I spent the best 7 years of my life with the band (winter 2007 heralded our last gig). What were the worst years of my life you ask? The same! Just kidding… I still catch myself smiling with pride when I read my lyrics from both the albums while they blast on my speakers. As the 1st track of the 2nd album says – no regrets!”